


Exhuming Your Heart

by LadyKnight33



Series: Reaper's Heart and Soul [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Reunions, Trials, reapbeans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:00:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22373014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKnight33/pseuds/LadyKnight33
Summary: Gabriel Reyes chose to do things by the books, but his trial is anything but fair. The past haunts all attempts at justice and Jack vows to do everything he can to get Gabriel back.Plus the birth of the Reapbean.
Relationships: Reaper | Gabriel Reyes & Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, Reaper | Gabriel Reyes/Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison
Series: Reaper's Heart and Soul [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1602811
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	Exhuming Your Heart

**Author's Note:**

> So, while writing this extension, the Reapbean kept appearing. Finally I just embraced it. This will be a story about Reaper going on trial, Jack trying to protect Gabriel yet again, and an explanation for those cute little Reapbeans. Enjoy!

**Exhuming Your Heart**

**Chapter One: The Trial: Day One**

All was not right within the massive lecture hall turned courtroom. Jack focused on the defendant table. Only one chair. Filled by the lawyer. The table supported a holo-projector recreating the image of an annoyed Gabriel Reyes. Not at all monstrous with decaying and healing wounds. Exactly what Morrison remembered from the later days of Overwatch. Right down to the utilitarian buzzcut in a suit. Some genius had edited the code to change the image. Apparently the potential of a sympathetic prisoner needing medical treatment rather than justice won out.

“They’re not going to let him talk.” Jack muttered to himself more than his companions. Dubiously honored with a front row seat to this circus were former members of Overwatch. Strike Commander Morrison and Captain Amari prime targets for witness interrogations. Testimony to use the polite courtroom terminology.

Ana wore a similar scowl. This was why both had chosen to remain dead to the world for so long. “I’m surprised they even allowed him to participate.” The world did not want them. “This is going to be a farce.” The old sniper had no love for who Gabriel had become, but even she recognized how rigged the system was against the former Blackwatch Commander. Her eye however was locked onto a fat balding man on the other side of the auditorium. Petras. Former Director of Overwatch. 

Once Overwatch had been disbanded the man vanished into the bureaucracy of the International Justice Commission to make decisions about international crimes. His influence allowed for Talon and Null Sector to fester into the terrorist organizations that had almost destroyed the world. Now he was retired. And likely to give testimony against Reyes.

The pageantry of the court proceeded with the announcements of judges. “The court will now begin the trial of Gabriel Reyes for war crimes and acts of terrorism.” When the courtroom settled, Gabriel remained standing. Jack knew that face. Grim determination. Whatever the man was about to say, Jack prayed it did not alter the judges rulings. “You may be seated, Mr. Reyes.”

Gabriel’s gaze somehow got darker over the holo projection. The coding used to reimagine the former commander had even corrected the man’s voice. The blue tinted, neatly dressed defendant was not the Reaper. Not the man falling apart in a jail cell across town. “If I may, I’d like to ask for clarification of the charges.” The forced politeness did not surprise Jack in the least. Reyes never did like playing politics. When given the go ahead, the faintest of sneers emerged from under the goatee. “First I request clarification on the charge of war crimes. Particularly since no war was ever declared. Second, for court records, I was declared dead. Not striped of my rank.”

Trying to suppress a groan amid the surprised chatter was easy enough. Masking the annoyance flashing across his face was more challenging. Ana huffed in mild amusement. “Never thought he’d care about titles.”

“He doesn’t. He just likes making things difficult.” Morrison had faced similar issues when his apparent death had to be denied. Though Overwatch no longer existed, he still technically retained the title of Strike Commander. And like Gabriel, Jack had officially retired from the United States military upon accepting the position in Overwatch. Jack returned his focus to the tribunal. Along with the rest of the observers, he wanted to know how the court would respond to the request.

The judges themselves leaned away from their microphone to deliberate. When they came to the conclusion everyone in the courtroom silenced without prompting. “Court records will be amended to reflect Commander Reyes’s ranks prior to the dissolution of Overwatch. In addition to the rank of Retired Colonel in the United States Marine Corps. Until the respective governing bodies have an opportunity to decide on the matter. In regards to war crimes, that charge will be discussed separately. You may be seated, Commander Reyes.” Gabriel hesitated as if surprised that his request had been honored. He complied and the trial continued.

The first day was reserved for opening statements. Most of it was handled by Mariah Swallow. Gabriel was not the most eloquent public speaker and for him to trust the lawyer there most have been quite the conversation. She put forth excellent reasons for Reyes to be treated as normal criminal rather than an international terrorists. Jack could hear Gabriel’s voice in Swallow’s words. “Commander Reyes is not denying he participated in illegal activities as a mercenary, but we will argue that his actions do not meet the definition of war crimes or international terrorism.” The lawyer concluded and the judges managed to keep their faces neutrally interested. The rest of the courtroom broke into quiet conversations.

Gabriel though was not content with his lawyer’s statement. He stood and with no tempering of his glare, addressed the court. Probably not the best way to garner sympathy. Despite the man being capable of clandestine operations requiring deep cover, Gabriel preferred direct confrontation. “I would like to stress that the nature of my condition does not descrimi—” The sound from the holo-projector stopped. It took Gabriel another sentence before he realized it. Glowering at his lawyer and the judges, he demanded with a harsh gesture to the machine.

“Your Honors, there appears to be a malfunction.” Mariah pushed the issue with much more tact. 

All eyes went to the judges. Again they leaned away from the microphones to discuss the issue. Someone from the technical support joined the conversation. Jack leaned forward in his seat, begging that Gabriel kept his temper in check. The man always appeared cool and calculating, but when angered his actions were quick and decisive. Jack’s gut knew this little power play would not go in Gabriel’s favor. They were not going to allow him to participate as his own representative.

The presiding judge adjusted his glasses and addressed the defense. “There is no malfunction. Opening arguments have concluded and we must continue.”

“Your Honor, Commander Reyes is legally allowed to represent himself. I am his co-council. His statements, heard directly from him, deserve the full attention of the court.”

“Opening statements are concluded, Mrs. Swallow. Should Commander Reyes wish to give testimony, he can take the stand. We will move on…” The white haired old judge paused. Eyes riveted to the hologram of Reyes. 

The former Blackwatch Commander reached towards the projector in his cell, bringing it to his face. The head of Gabriel Reyes filled the defense table, making it impossible to ignore that this was a hologram. The sound was still off, but anyone gifted in lip reading would understand. ‘This is not proper representation. Not legally acceptable. I put up with this farce, hoping the world had changed. You’re just as corrupt as the officials denying Omnic rights. You want me to play by your rules? Then have the decency to follow your own rules.’ The image blurred than disappeared.

The courtroom erupted in protests. No one knew if the court had turned off the hologram or if Reyes had destroyed it. Jack sagged in his seat, disbelief at the gall Gabriel had at arguing with the justices. It wasn’t a surprise. But his gut didn’t settle. “Something’s wrong.”

“You mean besides the court refusing a fair trial?” Ana scowled next to him. She might not love Gabriel, but years of friendship and professional respect lingered. “Go. At this rate they’re going to have to adjourn to get order back.” The old sniper knew how to read the situation.

In the pandemonium Jack rushed from the courtroom. He needed to get to Gabriel before the worst case scenarios from his head played out. There was not a lot he could do. But he could stand beside his old friend. Every Holovid and radio was tuned to the analysis of the trial. Many were replaying the hazy hologram of Gabriel’s head. Hopefully to help the audience understand the clearly enunciated words. Worse to complain how the man disrupted court proceedings. There was no ignoring this event.

The prison was equally uncooperative when Jack arrived. “Strike Commander, sir… Visitors are not allowed.” One bold guard stood in the doorway, preventing the old soldier from entering the cell blocks. Jack ignored the title. Right now it helped lend authority to otherwise illegal actions.

“Open that door and let me into his cell or everyone on duty will finish their shift in the hospital.” Morrison’s deep growl could grind bones to dust. His eyes might always be blue and guileless, but his rough voice commanded innately. As the guards rushed to obey, some from respect others from fear, Jack knew he would have to face the consequences. They would take him away from Gabe. That alone gave him pause, but the absolute need to know Gabriel was safe won. He would never take their word in regards to the dark, bearded Commander.

What awaited him behind the hard light barrier was worse than he had imagined. A thick miasma coated the floor of the prison cell. No Reaper in sight. Connecting the two facts meant Gabriel Reyes was the undulating black fog. “Call Angela Ziegler and Ana Amari. Tell them I need them here now!” He wasn’t the Strike Commander. But when it came to his friends, he expected compliance. Jack forced himself past the barrier, prepared to wade through the biological substance. Immediately upon contact with Jack’s boot, the miasma reared back. Huddled tightly in the far corner of the cell. It had nowhere to go. Such a reaction meant Reaper suffered as of yet undefined abuse while in this weakened state. “It’s just me, Gabe.” Jack offered, hesitantly shuffling his way into the room. Towards the bench that served as a bed. It was well away from Gabriel and hopefully showed that Jack meant no harm. Jack turned his hard blue eyes back at the guard lingering by the cell. “What happened.” 

The demand startled the young man. “Reaper picked up the projector and ignored orders to put it down and back away. One of the guards used a taser. That’s when Reaper destroyed the projector and more guards fired their tasers. And… then this…” The longer Jack glared at the guard the more certain he was that this kid had not pulled the trigger. Nervous and apologetic, but not guilty. The former Strike Commander tossed the hard light badge through the bars. At least when it came time to face the consequences, he would already be locked up.

Jack slid to the floor. Back pressed against the ledge protruding from the wall to create that bench. He could only hope Gabriel retained enough consciousness to realize a friend had come. Jack could not justify using any stronger term. He wanted to. Just Gabriel kept the distance. Like now. The writhing mass of black smoke barely relaxed from the far corner. Trust took awhile. If Reyes was not conscious then it would take a long while. Jack would just have to wait it out.

The mass gently oozed from the corner across the floor. It kept well away from the door and Jack. A single tendril snaked towards the old soldier, investigating the intruder to this prison. Hesitant. Had all of Jack’s encounters with Reaper been so painful that the man’s unconsciousness considered Soldier 76 the enemy? Jack longed to reach out to that inquiring puff of smoke. But this had to be on Gabriel’s terms or not at all. Any unintentional motion to reposition scattered the miasma.

A sudden figure at the bars triggered Reaper to quiver nervously in the corner farthest from the door. Ana sighed, despair clear in her eye. “Is he even aware of us? Or just reacting?”

Jack shrugged, helpless in the face of Gabriel’s lack of consciousness. “Can’t tell. They tased him, Ana. But it feels like something more happened.” He refused to leave his position on the floor. 

Ana entered the cell with a duffle bag. She kept the badge that let her pass through the hard light barrier. “Here. These will be more comfortable than that suit.” She dropped the bag onto the bench before joining him on the floor, watching the thick smoke undulate onto itself. “They adjourned not long after you left. The court was in shambles. Half think Gabriel crushed the projector in a rage. Others are latching onto the idea that the feed was cut by the court. Why do conspiracy theories follow him like flies?”

With a soft chuckle, Jack reached out to a smoke tendril returning to investigate. This time they connected. Gradually more joined the old soldiers by the bench. Some part of Gabriel recognized old friends. “He became the most powerful man no one heard of. Rumors were always circulating about what he did. Even before Rialto. Now so many think they were right about him. This trial was supposed to be his chance to prove them wrong. They won’t let him. I am starting to believe the conspiracy theories about a higher authority trying to discredit Overwatch. They want to turn him into a scapegoat. I can’t let them.”

“I know. Gabriel was always stronger with you. Together we might be able to beat the system. I would have been there… if I could have. At the end…”

“Ana, stop. Overwatch’s decline was not your fault. This would have happened had the explosion not destroyed us. Petras has always wanted to put Gabe on trial. Some personal vendetta I never understood. And Gabe never confided in me.” The smoke barely had any mass as it twined through Jack’s hand. Almost apologetic. Perhaps when Gabriel returned to himself, they would all have more answers for each other.

Ana reached out towards the smoke, hopeful to repair the friendship broken at her apparent death. “You should have seen that lawyer lay into the judges about legal representation. I’m rather proud of her.” Reaper’s vapor curled in the air above the sniper’s hand. Uncertain about its trust in her. Slowly it looped around the offered fingers. The need for friends and support won.

“It only took a few dozen before someone could actually stand up to Gabe’s intensity. I never thought we’d find a lawyer he actually liked.”

“She said to leave the courtroom to her for now. And she will be here in the morning.” Ana brushed off her pants suit as she stood. “I have to leave before Angela can come in. She’s been trying to contact a certain scientist. Take care of yourselves.”

“You know us by now.”

“I do. If there’s trouble, you’ll find it. I mean it, Jack. I want there to be two of you when I return tomorrow.”

“We’ll do what we can.” Jack promised. More of the miasma crept towards him after Ana left the cell. Nor did it leave when a new person entered the room. Reaper did tense as much as smoke could, but did not retreat. 

Angela stood just inside barrier, horrified by what she saw. Watching Reaper morph from smoke to corporeal was one thing, seeing the terrorist as an uncoordinated mass was another. “He belongs in a hospital. Not this… Is he in pain?”

Jack could only shrug. “I don’t know. To me he looks like he is always in pain. This… I don’t understand this. I only know they used tasers.”

“So I gathered from the prison guards. And Winston’s recollection when first encountering him. Reaper scattered immediately after being struck by his Tesla cannon.”

“Did Moira say anything?”

“Nothing helpful. She needed to know the scope of the problem. Not that there was one. I don’t know how to exam him… But I’ll report it to Moira and hope the files she’s sending will explain what to do.” The doctor looked lost with a patient she couldn’t treat. “I’ll be back as soon as I have more information. Let me know if his condition changes. And I’ll try to get the warden and the courts to agree to a more amenable place for him to heal.” Though her visit was short and ultimately useless, Jack knew it would take time before Reaper was restored.

Alone with the semi-sentient black cloud, Jack grabbed the duffle bag to remove the shirt and cargo pants Ana had brought. Even his tacky 76 jacket. That woman really did understand him. Reaper skirted around Jack’s personal space as he changed. “Did you think I’d spend the entire night in that suit? I spent a good decade without wearing one and enjoyed it.” Even half a life time of being able to change in private did not bring out the shame of changing in front of a perpetually opened jail cell. The military could be thanked for most of it. With the suit neatly folded and stuffed in the duffle bag, Jack returned to the floor. “This feels like St. Lawrence Island. Waiting for you to heal before we could move. Though these are better accommodations.”

The dissolved wraith gradually closed the distance. It wasn’t long until the miasma tucked itself against Jack’s left side. Keeping the former Strike Commander between it and the door. A defense not lost on Morrison. It was rare when Gabriel Reyes required the protection of others. Rarer still when he sought it out and accepted it. In this black haze Reaper was truly defenseless. Blessedly in her motherly foresight, Ana had packed a thick blanket. Jack pulled it over both of them, careful to not let it flop through the insubstantial smoke.

Morning arrived only judged by Jack realizing he was awake as no window showed a change in light. A weight pressed against his arm. Under the blanket Gabriel had coalesced into a more human shape. Limited in details and easily jarred into puffs of smoke. An annoyed grimace formed on the rudimentary facial features. Jack frowned at himself for being so inconsiderate. “Just trying to figure out if you’re close to joining us.” Jack shifted his numb left arm. Though the weight of a rebuilding Reaper was not heavy, it had pressed at just the wrong angle. “Think I can get up without causing too much damage?” 

Reluctantly Gabriel oozed into a cocoon of the blanket, loosing all human shape but able to keep the fabric aloft. This allowed Jack to stretch and go through the morning rituals as best he could. The pang of an empty stomach accompanied him. It was unlikely the guards would bring him any sort of meal and without a clock, Jack had no idea if Ana would arrive soon.

Sitting on the bench rather than rejoining Gabriel on the floor, Jack rifled through the duffle bag wondering if the mother hen had left snacks. A few military grade protein bars were in the front pocket. “I take it back. This is more like Belarus. The food options are just as terrible.” It could be Jack’s imagination, but the blanket seemed to chuckle.

“I recall that in Belarus, you were the injured one we had to wait on.” Ana called through the barrier while the guards opened the steel bar door. “Sorry I’m late. The security is thicker than the protesters.”

“Protestors?”

“Some want Gabriel hanged, some want him freed. Most don’t have a clue as to what actually happened this side of the holo-projector. But Mariah is coming this afternoon so do us all a favor and go to the apartment and shave.”

Jack rubbed the thick stubble across his chin. Another couple of hours and he would have a beard. He glanced at his friend, still smoke and tucked within the dark blue blanket. “But…What if they move him.”

“Jack. I’m staying. They won’t move him. They won’t even touch him. It’s not the first time I’ve had to babysit injured enhanced soldiers. Gabriel at least knew how to follow the doctor’s orders.” Ana stepped through the barrier and held out the badge for Jack. “Now get out of here. Pack some clothes. Get a good shower. Breakfast. And don’t come back until you pack a razor.”

Gabriel did not budge, but Jack still felt eyes watching. “Alright. I won’t be gone long.” Arguing with Ana was like arguing with a force of nature. Try as he might, Jack would never win. He took the duffle bag and badge to step through the barrier. The guards there to escort him out. The sun barely peeked above the horizon of skyscrapers. Old soldiers naturally kept early hours.

Yet the protesters were already camped out with a horde of police between them and the jail. Returning would be a nightmare. For now the cameras and people made no effort to bombard him with questions. Jack could slip past unnoticed. To the apartment they rented for this show of insanity. 

Morrison had known this would be a long endeavor from the moment Reaper removed his mask when facing down a whole squadron of pulse rifles. Soldier 76 in the lead. The wraith could have vanished into smoke, gone into hiding. But all other Talon and Null Sector leaders had been captured or killed. Reaper was alone. Not that he couldn’t have fought a one man battle against a hundred soldiers. Reyes understood when the job was done. Jack had not wanted the public surrender but it seemed to suit Reaper just fine to trail stoically behind the police force. A ghostly image of his former self. Still just as proud.

Jack hated that day.

The day Reinhardt signed the lease on an apartment only a few blocks away from where the trial would be held. Just a city from the maximum security prison that housed the terrorists. Leaving Gabriel locked behind those walls fueled Jack’s need to find an explanation and desire to get justice for actions easily interpreted as criminal. The world wasn’t black and white the way Jack wished. Reyes had always operated in shades of gray, patiently explaining the merits of actions Jack questioned. Reaper pushed those boundaries further into the illegal. 

An Omnic drove the hired car Ana had left at the curb back to that four bedroom flat. Friends came and went. To show support, as a place to stay while assisting with the trial, or to bring items Morrison didn’t have time to search for. No doubt Doctor Ziegler was there right now. Possibly Oxton and Shimada. They had become great supporters even before Reaper’s explanation. Their memory of Commander Reyes shone through. 

One man Jack had expected to stay had a price on his head. It was slow going but Torbjorn headed up the group of friends trying to clear McCree’s name from all the false accusations leading to the bounty. One night the gunslinger had shown up to wish them well, only to disappear before morning. Gabriel never commented on the story. It wasn’t like McCree could visit.

The apartment complex was a new age. A bright white building where everything seemed to be made of glass. The fence around the front garden kept the media at a distance. Poor souls stuck watching the mundane when the real action took place in the courtroom. They still provided complications when anyone wanted to travel. Most were huddled around a food vendor with smells of coffee and sugar wafting through the air. Jack slipped past them before the reporters realized they needed to ask questions.

Within the tiny living space Angela and Brigette sat at the table, empty breakfast dishes scattered among their coffee and data tablets. Beyond the sliding glass doors Genji and the Omnic monk occupied the balcony beyond the living room. Far more people than Jack expected.

“Oh good, you’re back,” the doctor poured herself another cup of coffee, offering him one by silently raising an empty mug. He immediately agreed. Stomach greedy for false nutrition. “I wanted you to see the information Moira sent.”

The duffle bag thudded to the floor and the soldier sagged his shoulders. Anything the scientist sent would not be understood by him. “Does it help explain Reyes’s condition?” He had tasks to preform before he could get back to Gabriel. Still he draped his jacket across the back of a chair and sat to view the tablet Ziegler offered. With his coffee drowning in cream and sugar, Jack tried to read. “This is Soldier 24’s file.” Gabriel’s file.

“Yes. Not just his. Everyone from the Soldier Enhancement Program. Including yours. They took samples of your DNA periodically during the treatment. Moira did the same. Constantly comparing them to the previous experiment. Several soldiers had similar changes in their DNA. All at different rates. Most didn’t survive.”

“Was one of them Soldier 17?”

“How..? Yes. That was one of the cases Moira flagged. But it seems the government had no interest in fixing these issues beyond making sure they didn’t happen again.” Angela sighed. She looked ragged. Like a woman who had stayed up all night with nothing to show for her work. “Moira refuses to leave Oasis. Her only comment on Gabriel’s health was to give it time. That he would come back together eventually.”

Hardened with disappointment, Jack caught the doctor’s eyes. “That’s not good enough.” He needed a way to return Reyes to something more human.

“No it’s not, but demanding won’t change the outcome.” Angela did not back down. It was one quality he appreciated about the doctor, but right now it aggravated him to not have the answers. To not be able to fix Gabriel.

“Uh… Jack?” Brigette’s hesitation broke the former commander’s concentration. He had forgotten the young woman was there. “What is going on with your jacket?” Tension broke, the soldier investigated his 76 jacket.

Thick black vapor oozed from the left sleeve to pool on the floor. Familiar in that he had only left a similar sight not an hour ago. “What have you gone and done now, Gabriel?” Jack sighed as he stooped to gather the weighted smoke into his hands. It had enough mass for the soldier to feel the roiling blob against his palms. Black puffs scattered into the air when Jack set it on the table. It spread across the surface, unable to retain a shape. Quickly Jack corralled it back into his hands.

“Is that… Reaper?” Brigette had not seen Reyes since the hologram at the trial. Only the masked terrorist able to dissipate into invulnerable smoke.

“In a way. This is what Gabriel looks like right now. Though when I left he could hold a shape better. This piece must have worn itself out by staying in that jacket all the way here. But why…” The smoke writhed in his palms. Jack absently tried to stroke it with his thumbs, wanting to comfort the little piece of Gabriel he could hold.

Angela was a flurry of activity. Taking notes and pictures and muttering to the tablet as she messaged Moira yet again. The doctor became background noise as Jack’s focus turned to how and when Reaper could have separated himself in this manner. And if this blob of ooze acted independently or if it was still reliant on the loosely formed miasma left in the prison. Could Ana even tell part of Gabriel was missing?

The young woman who had attached herself to the favorite uncle Reinhardt as a protege reached out to touch the smoke only to have it retreat deeper into Jack’s hands. It seemed Reaper still considered everyone else its enemy. But it was the golden orb zipping into place above the tiny pool of twisting black smoke that startled Jack into the present. The Omnic and cyborg had entered into the middle of this encounter.

“This poor creature is confused, disoriented. Pain from not knowing what it is, unable to join the others…” Zenyatta tilted his head towards the table. The monk appeared just as perplexed as the rest of them.

Brigette latched on to the description. Her hands twitching to do something as if the smoke were an angry ally cat. “You can sense all that from it?”

“Vaguely. These are not machines like myself or Genji, but are still not completely organic. But I can clearly sense that this creature is meant to be with something much larger.” The Omnic monk turned his faceplate towards Jack, clearly curious. “I believe you were discussing Reaper.” Under the golden glow the smoke settled, more like putty the longer Jack cradled the collected bio-mechanical vapor. That explanation only warranted more questions about what Moira had done to the his friend.

It was the confirmation that this thing belonged to the larger piece that cemented what Jack had to do. The right thing warred with his internal desire to keep this part of Gabriel close. “Then its coming back with me to the prison. Obviously it needs to be with the rest of Gabriel.” The blob actually rolled out of Jack’s hands and plopped onto the table in a cloud of smoke.

“I might be reading into it, but I don’t think it wants to go back,” Genji’s electronic voice had an amused tone to it that Jack didn’t like.

Jack scrubbed his face in frustration. A combination of poor sleep sitting on the floor of a prison cell and general anger at being unable to do anything for his friend’s health or freedom. He could still see Gabriel’s thought process behind slipping smoke into Jack’s coat. The garment wouldn’t be checked on the way out. “I am not smuggling you out piece by piece, Gabe. You were the one who wanted to do this by the book.” The reformed blob managed to look devastated, deflating in on itself. Jack’s heart couldn’t take it. “Fine. This one can stay. But I’m not bringing back anymore.” The smoke blob restored its nearly spherical shape. Almost looked pleased.

A data pad dropped next to the strange creature, accompanied by an annoyed huff. Startled it rolled off the edge of the table. “Oh.. sorry,” Angela rushed to catch the thing, but Brigette already had it in her hands.

“You know,” the armorer quirked a smile, thumbs lightly brushing the top of the little black blob. In her eyes, Jack saw the protectiveness she gained when adopting a new kitten. Never mind that this was part of a deadly mercenary. “It’s actually kind of cute like this. Like a bean.”

Genji sounded skeptical. “Cute? From Commander Reyes?” The tilt of the silver faceplate betrayed continued amusement at the absurd situation. Jack was not going to get mad at the cyborg for displaying emotions that had once been bottled up. No matter how unhelpful.

“Well, it does remind me of his Halloween decorations.” Angela had a soft smile of nostalgia creeping across her face. “Remember when he spooked Reinhardt in to a faint?” Lulls in crisis did seem to bring out better memories. Even the former Strike Commander let slip a fond smile.

Brigette laughed brightly. “Reinhardt still talks about that night.”

“Does he?” Angela chuckled. “Those parties were delightful. No offense, Jack, but the horror story contests were far more fun than your Christmas parties.”

“None taken. They were more exciting.” Jack relented. He pushed away from the table. The doctor could fill the ninja into what type of man Gabriel was before world affairs interfered with holidays. He had to shower and change so he could meet with the lawyer. The stubble was starting to itch. “I’ll be back.” Was it just his imagination or did two little arms reach out from the blob. “You’re staying here.” Jack jabbed his finger on the table. “I don’t need your help.”

“Don’t be so hard on him, Jack,” Angela brushed a finger along the puttylike smoke. “It’s obvious Gabriel is worried about you to send part of him with you.”

“I’m just going to change. I don’t need to keep track of it while I pack.”

“We’ll make sure this little bean stays safe.” Brigette fondly nudged the blob who melted under touch. Enjoying the affection. Clearly its own entity now under that golden healing orb. “Now, you’ll need a name…”

“It’s still Reaper. Just without the mask.” Genji remained at a distance. 

“But no guns.” The young woman defended. “Though a face would make it easier to figure out which way it considers up.” Gently Brigette set the blob back on the table. The golden orb continued to hover over the blob as it rolled along the surface. When it stopped the smoke billowed in one area. Abruptly a tiny white circle appeared with an approximation of Reaper’s mask.

Small noises of surprise drowned Jack’s groan. “Now I’ve seen everything. You’re supposed to be resting, Gabriel. Not practicing magic tricks.” The thing didn’t even look apologetic as the others swarmed the table to take a look. 

He finally left the room, but not until he heard Brigette name the blob. “Now it really is a Reaper bean. Ah, that’s perfect. You are now Reapbean.” Jack however was looking forward to Gabriel’s explanation for that split off of smoke. Particularly if the man had any continued connection to the blob.


End file.
